🏈New football league flagged; A roper's delight; Rodeo clown not kidding around.

Let us be among the first to wish you a happy and prosperous new year. We hope you’ve enjoyed a well-deserved break from breaking news. Our newsletter will be back in your inbox Friday. In the interim, here are some top stories you may have missed from the January issue of our print publication. Click here to read the digital edition.

Flag football league to debut. There's a lot of great football teed up today. Did you know that flag football will be an Olympic sport in 2028 and that a pro league has launched for a 2026 season with teams in 32 U.S. cities, including Dallas? The commissioner of the Global Flag Football League is Marjorie Herrera Lewis, a former Cowboys beat writer for the Star-Telegram.

Innovative idea benefits ropers. An heirloom watch was the inspiration for a Granbury-based family business that allows ropers to work their chutes without the help of additional people. The American Rope Horse Futurity and the team roping athletes at the National Finals Rodeo now use Chute Help at their events.

It’s not the first rodeo for this 12-year-old. His name is Kevin Midkiff, and he’s a rodeo clown. Every Friday and Saturday night he’s at Cowtown Coliseum working the crowd. He gets compensated for his work and he even has sponsors. It’s a dream career for this 6th grader who someday wants to show his skills at a Professional Bull Riders event.

🧨817 Biz is formatted for viewing on mobile devices. If this email doesn’t look right, click the link at top right. Some links may expire after initial posting or be paywall protected.